Click here if you have a "fruit and vegetable problem" to see if my solution will work for you.
Through Thick and Thin #19 (April 17, 2003)
How I've Solved My Fruit & Vegetable Problem
In my first five months post-op, I had done absolutely everything my WLS doctor asked me to do — except for one glaring omission. I just couldn't find a way to eat my five recommended daily servings of both fruit and vegetables. I wasn't being rebellious or deliberately self-sabotaging. I just couldn't figure out how to squeeze this important nutritional source into my tiny tummy. My reconstituted stomach hasn't done well with raw fruit or vegetables, and cooked vegetables filled me with gas and discomfort. I'm also aware that cooked fruits and vegetables tend to be overprocessed or overcooked, and thus lack much of the nutrition provided by fresh, raw fruits and vegetables. Finally, and most importantly, between my protein shakes and focus upon protein at dinner, there simply isn't enough room in my stomach, or time in my day, to consume foods from this corner of the nutrition triangle, even if I know how vital they are to my health and fitness and how important it is for me to fulfill this “should”.
I had still managed — with a prudent food plan, minimizing calories, and maximizing calorie burn through vigorous daily exercise — to lose more than 100 pounds (and about 80 inches off of my various bodily circumferences) in my first five months after surgery. But my energy has been low, and I know that eating plenty of fresh, raw fruits and vegetables every day is critical to good nutrition. Even above and beyond my special needs as a WLS patient, I've noted with interest the new prevention research suggesting that elements in fruit and vegetables seem to strengthen immune systems, impede the development of disease, and contribute to good health in many other ways.
Then I found Juice Plus+ ® and now, for me, my problem is solved! This product provides me with a convenient, inexpensive and practical way to get the nutrition I need from fresh, raw fruits and vegetables. Served in capsules (2 fruit and 2 vegetable daily) or chewable tablets, Juice Plus+ ® is whole food based supplement, made from a variety of fruits and vegetables. It is NOT a highly processed, highly fragmented vitamin or mineral supplement. So it provides not only a much wider variety of naturally-occurring vitamins and minerals, but also the phytochemicals, antioxidants, active enzymes, chlorophyll and other nutrients — even the fiber — found in the fresh, raw fruits and vegetables it's made from. I learned that the four daily capsules provide the Vitamin C of 4 oranges, the Beta Carotene of 3 raw carrots, and more Vitamin E than several servings of spinach and broccoli, plus a whole lot more. One notable advantage over actually eating all these servings of fruit and vegetables is that most of the salt, sugar and calories have been removed when the juice is reduced into powder.
I take my two fruit capsules in my first protein shake of the day, and the two vegetable capsules in my final protein shake. I find them to be tasteless, but they add some welcomed bulk and fiber to my shakes. I feel more full after each shake, and I seem to stay full longer. Between my protein shakes and my Juice Plus+ ® capsules, I'm guaranteed 60 grams of protein, all my daily vitamin requirements, and the nutritional essence of 7 fruits and 10 vegetables and grains.
There are two other reasons that I'm so pleased with this product — besides checking off that last “must do” on my doctor's list. Ever since I've started taking the capsules, I've found that I feel much more energy every day, and much less anxiety and depression. I had been taking SAMe supplements for a few years to deal with my seasonal affective disorder. I'm not taking them any longer.
I was concerned about the cost, until I figured out that these capsules cost me a lot less money and time than I used to spend buying and preparing fruits and vegetables. My bottom line: this is the only way I've found to get the complete nutrition my body needs.
It feels good to find products, like my protein shakes and Juice Plus+ ®, that really respond to my very special needs as a WLS patient. If you're experiencing problems or frustrations consuming the nutrition you need from fruits and vegetables, I invite you to check out the wealth of information about this product at my website,www.gastricbypasscoach.com.
I've become a “distributor” so that I can obtain my own Juice Plus+ ® at a reduced cost, and share my solution with others on this path. I hope that you'll find this as satisfying a solution as I have. I'd welcome hearing from you about whether or not you have a “fruit and vegetable problem”, like I do, and what solutions have worked for you. You can email me with questions at glenn@gastricbypasscoach.com. Thanks and take care...
Glenn
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Copyright ©2003 Glenn Goldberg. All rights reserved.